Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(17)

“I think she wants you to hold her,” Fayrene said. “I’ve only had her a couple of hours so I don’t know everything she likes.”

Sam didn’t want to hold the dog, but he also wasn’t sure about her staring. He reached for her, not clear on how to pick her up. As his hands closed around her, he realized she was a lot smaller than she’d seemed. She was mostly fur. Her body was small, her bones slight. Jeez, he could crush her if he wasn’t careful.

But before he could figure out how to hand her back to Fayrene, Caramel had wiggled and shifted until somehow she was on her back, gazing up at him. Her expression held contentment and absolute trust. She relaxed against his arm, nestling her head in the crook of his elbow. He stroked her chest, then rubbed her little belly. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“She likes you,” Fayrene told him.

News that was both gratifying and terrifying.

“You’re one of Dellina’s clients, right?” Fayrene asked.

He nodded. “She’s planning an event for my company.”

“Great. And there have been a lot of women in your life?”

Sam’s head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

Fayrene grinned. “Groupies. Girls in hotel rooms. You know what I mean. You’re experienced when it comes to women.”

Sam shifted uncomfortably. What the hell was she asking?

“It’s about my boyfriend,” Fayrene told him.

“The mysterious Ryan.” He relaxed and thought of the dry-erase board with the Ten Ways to Get Him to Propose header. “There’s an obvious solution.”

“To what?”

“The proposal.”

Fayrene’s hazel eyes widened. “Okay. What is it?”

“Tell him you want to get married.”

Her mouth twisted in disappointment. “Like that is ever going to happen. I can’t just say I’ve changed my mind and want us to get married now.”

“Why not?”

Her gaze turned pitying. “Because he’s the guy. He’s supposed to propose. I want the romantic moment. If Ryan really loved me, he would know things were different. Or he wouldn’t be able to wait for me. He’d insist.”

Sam thought attitudes like that were one of the reasons the divorce rates were so high. “Unrealistic expectations and too much idealized fantasy about what it should be,” he muttered. “If Ryan loves you, he’ll respect you. Did you two agree to wait for a few years before getting married?”

“Yes.”

“Then every single day he doesn’t mention getting married, he’s showing you he loves you and wants what you want.”

“But I don’t want that anymore.”

“He’s a man, not a mind reader. He’s doing exactly what you asked him to do. Changing the rules now isn’t fair to either of you. This is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. If you can’t be honest about how you feel, how do you expect your relationship to last?”

Fayrene’s eyes narrowed. “You’re no help at all,” she told him, then stood and scooped up Caramel. The little dog settled easily in her arms.

“Tell him the truth,” Sam called after her.

Fayrene didn’t answer and seconds later the front door slammed.

Dellina returned to her office. “Did my sister leave?”

“Yes. I don’t think she was happy.”

Dellina didn’t look overly concerned as she settled back in her seat. “What did you say?”

“That if she wants to change the rules with Ryan, she needs to tell him directly.”

“Excellent advice.”

“Thank you.”

“Not that she’ll listen.”

“I got that.”

* * *

DELLINA ARRIVED AT Jo’s a few minutes before she was scheduled to meet her friends. As she walked into the bar, she saw Taryn and Larissa were already at a big table, along with Consuelo Ly. Taryn, as usual, wore something fabulous. This time a gray plaid sleeveless dress with a slim belt of the same material and some kind of foldy-draping across the front. The style was deceptively simple, but Dellina had a feeling the designer was a name everyone knew and that the dress had cost more than a vacation to Hawaii.

By contrast Larissa was in apple-green capris with a matching polka-dot T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and Dellina was sure she hadn’t bothered with makeup that morning.

Consuelo defied all fashion convention in her work uniform of cargo pants and a khaki-colored tank. All she needed was a bit of camouflage paint on her face to look like she’d stepped out of an action movie.

From Dellina’s point of view, they were all versions of exotic. Taryn with her upscale taste and glossy beauty. Larissa was the classic blonde bombshell with an athletic twist, while Consuelo was both stunning and powerful—combined in a petite package. By comparison, Dellina felt average. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She was sort of pretty, but nothing like them. She guessed she looked like what she was—a small-town girl. In a word—boring.

For the most part she was content with that, but every now and then she wondered what it would be like to be glamorous and sexy.

“Hi,” she said as she approached the table. She set down the ceramic container she held. “I hope this is what you were thinking of. Rakisha from Plants for the Planet swears it’s going to last.”